Adjustable mounting for lamps



Sept. 16 1924. l,508; 896

E. W. SEAHOLM ADJUSTABLE MOUNTING FOR LAMPS Filed Nov. 14 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet l Sept. 16 1924. 1,508,896

E. w. SEAHOLM ADJUSTABLE MOUNTING FOR LAMPS Filed Nov. 14, 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 (whim/aw. gwva'wtoz c c5 W @51 m M253; W (fa/W F a, w v 321 k u ERNEST W. 'SEAH OLM, OF DETBOIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL MOTORS COR- PORATION, F DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

ADJUSTABLE MOUNTING FOB. LAMPS.

Application filed November 14, 1919. Serial No. 337,988,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNns'r'W. SnAHoLM', a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Detroit, county of Wayne, and

State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Adjustable Mountings for Lamps, of which the follow- ,ing is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which the invention relates to make and use the same, reference being made therein to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

The invention relates to adjustable mountings for lamps, and while especially designed to facilitate the mounting and accurate adjustment of lamps of the type commonly employed as motor vehicle headlights it will be seen to be of utility in various other relations.

In the mounting of headlights upon the" vehicle. This result I accomplish by em ploying means providing for preliminary adjustment of the lamp about axes in two planes at right angles to each other.

A further object is to provide an improved means for tilting the reflector at the willof the driver in order to direct the rays of light at different angles to the horizontal, for example, to deflect the light downwardly when meeting another vehicle, or, to cause theJight to be directed upon the. roadway at a greater or le$ distance from the vehicle.

Further objects are to improve the constructionof devices of this character in various respects as hereinafter set forth, to reduce vibration and to increase the efficiency of the operationof the lamp structure as a whole.

In the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification and which illustrate one embodiment of my invention,

Figure 1 is avertical section of a motor tioned to show the interior construction, and Y Figures 4 and 5 are respectively a plan anda section showing details of the means for attaching the lamp housing to the lamp brackets.

Inthe drawings, 1 indicates a lamp housing conforming in general to a type commonly employed in motor vehicles. Within the housing is the reflector 2, carrying a source of light, in this case shown as an electric lamp 3. The reflector is supported so as 1070 be movable relatively to the housing in a vertical plane, such movement being provided for by supporting the reflector on pivots 4 attached to the housing by brackets5. 7

The housing is provided with an openin at the rear in which is secured a recessed casting 6 formed with bearings 7 and 8. These bearings support a rock shaft 9 on which, within the recess of the casting, is' secured by any suitable means so as to rotate with the'shaft a double armed lever 10. One" arm of this lever extends down-. wardlyand is shown as provided with means 11 for pivotally connectingthereto a link which is intended to be 0 erable in any suitable manner by the driver of the vehicle. The other arm of lever 10 is slotted to providelugs '12, 13 adapted to engage with abutments 14, 15, on stop screw 17, sup ported by thread engagement with cast-' ing 6 at one end and sliding engagement therewith at the other end, a lock nut 18 serving to retain the stop screw in the position to which it has been adjusted.

On the end of shaft 9 and inside of the lamp housing is secured, as by a pin 20, the two armed lever 21, the upper arm of which is pivotally attached at 22 to red 23. This rod extends loosely through aper- 10o ture 24 in bracket 25 secured to the lamp housing, and is surrounded by spring 26. It

will be seen that the upper arm of lever 21, the rod 23 andspring 26, with related parts, form a quick-throw device, so that, when pivot 22 is thrown to either side of a dead center the spring will operate tomove the rock shaft 9 to its limiting positions as determined by lugs 12, 13, and abutments 14, 15. @ther forms of quick-throw devices may be employed, but I have found the one described both simple and eficient.

To the lower arm of lever 21 are attached, by pin 27, links 28, 29, the other ends of which links are pivotally connected to nut 30. This 'nut is in threaded engagement with screw 31 the latter being provided with a non-threaded portion 32 rotatably held by the head of the screw nut and by collar 33 in sleeve 34 secured to the reflector 2. A. spring 35, attached atone end to the reflector, as by lug 36 and at the other end to pivot pin 27, serves to apply a yielding pressure to the intervening connections, thereby preventing play and reducing vibration. 1

It will be noted that the parts alrefady described provide a means for tilting'the reflector to'vary the direction of the reflected rays in a vertical plane. Movement of the lever 10 from the position shown in Figure 1 to the right through an angle determined by the distance between abutmentsl4, 15, or as shown in the drawing, through an angle of approximately 60, will swing the reflector about its supporting pivots 4 and thereby deflect the beam of light downwardly. The amount of this deflection, in the structure illustrated, may be approximately 10, but the angle of deflection will, of course, vary'with the predetermined positions of abutments 14, 15, and with the relative lengths of lever arms employed.

The screw 31 and nut 30 with related parts also provide a means for. preliminary adjustment or alignment of the reflector. in a vertical plane, so that the beam may be directed as desired, in normal operation, either horizontally or at an angle slightly above or below the horizontal.

In order to provide for adjustment of the beam of light in both horizontal and vertical planes there is employed in addition to the adjusting means already described a further adjustment which may be otvarious specific forms, but a convenient and advantageous embodiment of which may be as shown in Figures 4 and 5. The lamp brackets 40 are provided, as customary, with standards 41 to receive the ears 42 on the lamp housing. The ears 42 are slotted as shown at 43 and provided with serrations on the upper side to co-operate with serrated washer 44. Covering the washer and the entire upper surface of ear 42 is a cap 45 having a slot 46 ofless extent than the slot 43 and eccentrically located with reference to the cap. A washer'47 and cap nut 48bit usual form are used to hold the parts in assembled relation. Although the drawings show the standards 41 as fitting the mosses by the slot 46. If further adjustment in the same direction is necessary, the cap 45 may be removed and replaced with its ends reversed, where, as Will be obvious, the end of slot 46 will register with the end of slot 43, opposite to that with which it was in register in the first position, and adjustment throughout the entire extent or the slot 43 will thus be permitted.

It will be noted that the use of the reversible cap 45 permits of the use of smaller washers, since only the short slot 46 need be covered, and the entire assemblage is both simple and neat in appearance, while still providing for a considerable range of adjustment.

It will be seen that the invention provides means for properly aligning the lamps to compensate for inaccuracies in the original position of the lamp supports or housings, as the independent pivotal movement in each of two planes, at right angles to each other affords universal adjustment. In combination with this adjustment, the invention further provides for the setting of the lamp proper in either of two positions of adjustment in a vertical plane at will by the driver. The structure also afiords means 'for subjecting the movable parts to yielding or spring pressure, thus preventing vibration and eliminating noise.

The use of what has hereinbeen termed. a quick-throw device is of especial advantage in that it provides .not only a resilient pressure for holding the reflector at either of its limits of movement, but it removes the necessity for an accurate positioning of the actuating means by the operator, or the use of detents or the like in connection with such actuating means. The operator needs only to move the actuating means beyond it mid position whereupon the quick-throw evice will complete the movement to the predetermined end position. The housing of the spring throw device and of the stops which determine its limits of movement within the lamp casing is also of especial advantage in that it not only results in a neat and compact. construction, but it avoids the necessity for accurate adjustment of any linkage or otherconnecting means outside the casing.

While l have described herein the preferred embodiment of my invention it will be understood that various changes in details of structure may be made Without departing from the spirit of the invention, and therefore I do not wish to be limited to the struc ture illustrated, but intend to cover any modifications within the scope of the claims hereto appended.

I claim:

1. In a lamp mounting, a pivotally supported reflector, a rock shaft connected to the reflector to swing the same about its points of support, a lever fixed to said rock shaft to operate the same and having stop lugs, a stop device cooperating with said lugs to determine the limits of movement of said reflector, and resilient means operative to retain the lugs in engagement with said stop device.

2. In a lamp mounting, a casing, a reflector pivotally supported therein,a a rock shaft supported in said casing, an arm on said shaft connected to said reflector a second arm on said shaft on the'outside pf said casing adapted for manual actuation, and

spring actuated means acting on said rock shaft to retain it in either of two positions.

3. In a lamp mounting, the combination with a tiltable reflector and arock shaft for actuating the same, a stop device comprising an arm extending body provided with abutments to cooperate with said arm, said body being adjustable to determine the respective positions of said shaft.

4. In a lamp mounting, the combination from said shaft, and a' with a tiltable reflector of means for actu' ing the same comprising a rock shaft connected to the reflector, stops to determine the limits of movement of said shaft, and means to retain the shaft resiliently at its limits of movement comprising an arm mounted upon the shaft, a rod pivotally connected to said arm at one end, and slidably supported at the other end, and a spring arranged to force the parts toward the positions assumed at either of the limits of movement of said rock shaft.

5. In a lamp mounting, a casing having its wall inwardly deflected to form a recess therein open to the exterior, a reflector adjustably mounted within said casing, means positioned in said recess operable to adjust said reflector, and connections between said means and said reflector.

6. In a lamp mounting, the combination of a casing, a reflector pivotally supported therein, a rock shaft connected to said refiector to swing the same about its points of support, stops for limiting the movement of said rock shaft to two positions, an arm connected to said rock shaft outside said casing and adapted to actuate said shaft to its limits of movement in either direction, and a spring arranged to maintain said rock shaft yieldingly at its limits of movement.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

ERNEST W. SEAHOLM. 

